Summer Term Music and Music Exams Thread

[Wafflenose]

A new thread for a new term!

If you're a music parent, or music teacher, please introduce yourselves here. It was getting hard to keep track on the old thread.

I am a music teacher (woodwind, 90% recorders these days) and I have:

DD1 (aged 8) who is taking Grade 5 Recorder this term, currently working towards Grade 4 Flute, and also sings, plays the piano and one tune on the ukulele (no lessons on these three). She has completed a video audition for the South West Music School, but we won't hear yet, and quite honestly, I don't think she'll get in this year.

DD2 (aged 5) who is taking Initial Grade Recorder this term, started the cello a month ago, and can play a few tiny, baby tunes on the piano and ukulele (again, no lessons on these).

I only have one pupil doing an exam this term, other than my girls - a Grade 2 Recorder player. I'm doing 11 Music Medals though.

That's the grade 4 out the way.

My husband I am have been agreeing on strategies for diverting talk of marks and grades and ages. It's good to know that other people have equally competitive children. Mine love each other but argue a large percentage of the time. Other people seem to have such angelic children in comparison.

Stress gone!

I was thinking of you and your little one when I went to bed, Shaky (I'm in the UK). Glad it is all over!

Our exams were with Trinity, so it shouldn't be too long a wait. Hopefully I'll know by the end of the week.

We should know in a couple of days. It used to take over a month and it's so quick nowadays. Kids these days...how lucky they are!

We have just heard - 3.5 days, so thank you Trinity!

DD2 got 79% for her Initial, so a Merit! Better than expected - so delighted for her!

DD1 got 92% and the long awaited Distinction, by a country mile as well!! She got Merit for Grades 1-4, as it never all came together on the day, and the maturity of phrasing wasn't there yet. We waited a year for Grade 5 and it really paid off. Her breathing, phrasing and expression are so much better.

We are in no rush to do the next one. I imagine DD2 will take a year to Grade 1, and DD1 will take two years to Grade 6 because her treble is way below her descant. But we have her audition and school concerts to focus on now, followed by a fun, relaxing summer.

Well done to the small Waffles, isn't it good that they didn't have long to wait? We once Trinity results on the day which rather spoilt it for every exam after that. We (and by that I mean "I" because DS isn't bothered) have a five month wait ahead for audition results. I'm not sure I can manage my usual standard of concern for that length of time, I'm a born worrier but five months is too long even for me to keep going over the same ground of will he/won't he.

This time next week DH will have done with his piano exam and I'll be able to listen to something else.

We have found out on the day, or the next day, with Trinity before. But 3 days still isn't bad!

Five months?! Won't he have forgotten all about it by then? I hope DD1 doesn't have long to wait to hear about hers. Her audition is on June 21st.

Oh Wafflenose that is amazing. Well done to them both.

(I bet it doesn't take DS1 2 years to Grade 6 though)

DS1 once got a result same day. It was at school, so when I asked him how his exam went and he said 'Great, I got a Distinction' I thought was just being confident.

Tonight is our final Junior School music concert. I cry just thinking about it, after 3 DCs through school.

Sorry, miniwaffle, that should be DD1!

Aaw that is so emotional Raspberry.

I have the Leaver's Concert at my main work today, and will have the pleasure of telling one of my Year 6s that she got a Merit for her Grade 2 exam this week!

One of the Year 5 boys (not one of my pupils) got 99% in a low grade exam this week!!!

Great results Waffle, well done to both of them!

Congratulations to them both! Still waiting here - but miss 10 has been very down after the high of taking it and realising that she has finished that grade. It gets her chance to get things back in perspective.

Back from the concert, it was lovely.

I cried.

DS2 was awarded the Musicians' Musician Shield by his peers. (They all get to vote and have to give a reason.)

DD won it 3 years ago. Very proud Mum.

Wowee Raspberry! How lovely for him.

Even more deserved when voted by peers - fabulous news Raspberry :)

Thank you.

I'm so pleased for him. He is a quirky child that doesn't always mix easily, and it was lovely to see that they realised he can play the way he does at school because he 'works very hard and practices a lot in his spare time' and value that.

RLP How lovely to have both DC's names on the shield (assuming it is engraved). You must be very proud, it's a lovely feeling when your children get the recognition that they deserve.

It was only recently that I found out that the first thing the engraver does is clean the cup so there's no need to polish silverware before returning it. I would like to have known this sooner in my career as band wife as it would have saved much last minute polishing over the years.

Wafflenose, sorry if I missed this, but did your DD get an audition for SWMS? Grade 4 at age 8 is pretty impressive.

Swannery - its even more impressive than that. Wafflenoses DD has just passed her Grade 5 with Distinction!! She has an audition too.

Ishouldbeweaving thank you. Yes it is engraved. The teacher pointed out DDs name was already on shield when he was presented with it.

The little boy who was awarded Musician (the teachers choice) also had his sister preceding him, very much a family affair this year!

LOL! Busy day at work so far. Yes Swannery, Raspberry is quite right. DD1 passed Grade 5 Recorder with distinction on Monday, and is playing two of her pieces at her SWMS audition next weekend. It's Flute that she's working towards Grade 4 in, and she will be playing 'Comic Song' (ex-Grade 4 list) and Seashore (ex-Grade 3 list) for the flute part of her audition. We didn't set out to play all exam syllabus stuff - she was playing loads of different flute pieces and fell in love with these.

That answers the question that I didn't ask. I was washing the dishes yesterday and thinking about Miniwaffle's audition (no, I don't know why either, it just came into my head) and I wondered whether she had a set piece or could choose. I then told myself to stop being nosey and get on with my own life.

She gets 10 minutes. They want one piece on each instrument, but mentioned that younger children can play two on each, as long as they don't exceed the time limit.

One of the piano parts is horrendous (Mesmeralda - she did it for her exam, and the professional accompanist was quite surprised at the difficulty. IMO the recorder part is far closer to Grade 6, and the piano part harder still) so I emailed SWMS and asked if they wanted the music in advance. Apparently their pianist is happy to sight-read on the day. He/she must be amazing!

They must be.

DS2 got a real telling off on Wednesday from his trombone teacher for not handing over the accompaniment in good time for his solo (Let's Call the Whole thing Off) to the Head teacher who was going to be accompanying him in the concert.

Am watching it now. Its lovely. Is that you in the treble ensemble?

Yes!